Dinosaurs Are Forever
by afullmargin
Summary: Slash. Shawn proposes to Gus in the place they first met, thirty years ago.


**Rating**: G

**Notes**: GypsyJr and I have head canon that Shawn and Gus first met in preschool and this was the cute that came out of that.

**Prompt**: Any, Any, Proposing at the spot where they first met

**Disclaimer**: This is a work of fictional parody in no way intended to infringe upon the rights of any individual or corporate entity. Any and all characters or celebrity personae belong to their rightful owners. Absolutely no money has or will be gained from this work. Please do not publicly link, repost or redistribute without letting me know first.

**Written**: 7/2012

* * *

"Shawn, why are we at an elementary school? It's four in the morning and you dragged me out of our nice warm bed to make me drive you to an elementary school that's not even open?"

"You gotta trust me on this, Gus." Shawn fumbled with the large key ring the janitor had conveniently misplaced the day before (which would also be conveniently found in his locker when he comes in for the day having never known it was lost), finding one with the correct series of grooves before sliding in a large key with a red fob attached. "There's just something I've got to do and then we can go home and snuggle back down into bed for a nice late rest."

"Maybe you can sleep 'till noon, but some of us still have a real job."

"Hey! Psych is a real job; you should know… you do all our paperwork." He flashed a smile, actually pretty glad that Gus was more worried about sleep than the fact that they were breaking into a school.

"You know that's right…" Gus murmured under his breath, smoothing out his pajamas as Shawn worked open the door to a familiar classroom. "Wait, is this…"

"Preschool, they haven't moved it after all these years…"

"I can't believe it's still here after thirty years…"

"I can. I'm pretty sure they've still got the same teacher." Shawn squinted as he flipped the light switch, the fluorescents flickering on to reveal tables with tiny chairs and finger paintings drying on a clothesline that spanned the room twice. He'd already set up everything he needed when he came by to talk to the teacher – who was not the same lady, but quite nice all the same – and need only move a stack of naptime mats to access the shelf of dinosaurs behind it.

"They've still got the same dinosaurs!" Gus grinned, making it to the shelves in a couple long steps before dropping to his knees and picking up the first two. "Tyrannosaurus Rex…"

"Hey Rex…" Shawn murmured quietly, kneeling beside his lover and putting his head on Gus' shoulder.

"And the pterodactyl."

"Terry! I remember you…"

"His name isn't Terry, Shawn… you're thinking Pee Wee's Playhouse." Gus set them down and picked up two more figures before saying; "Aww, man. The triceratops is missing."

"Is it?" Shawn raised an eyebrow, trying to hide his smile from his thankfully otherwise distracted partner. Let's see…" He picked up a sock monkey and asked it; "I'm sorry to disturb you, Mister Sock… but have you by any chance seen a triceratops around here? About three inches long, big horn on its nose… blue… goes by 'Sara' perhaps…"

"Sara was the Land Before Time."

"Nobody said whoever named her was creative…" Shawn let the smile come; "He says look behind the Barrel of Monkeys. Those sneaky little bastards…." Before Gus could look, Shawn reached directly in front of him and moved the red barrel to pick up the familiar dinosaur. "Gus… thirty years ago, I took this from you…"

"Come on, Shawn… that's ancient history." Gus yawned, rubbing his eyes with a sleepy hand. "You broke us in here to apologize for stealing a dinosaur when we were four?"

"No, I broke in here to give it back." Without further word, he turned the dinosaur toward Gus, the thick gold band hanging off its nose-horn obvious even to the most sleepy of eyes. "Because I think I've finally found a better way to keep you as my best friend than stealing your favorite toys."

Gus blinked several times, his mouth dry and suddenly without words. After a deep breath, he ran his thumb over the ring, not yet taking it off. "Shawn, what is this?"

"I love you, man… and we've been together forever and 'together' together for like… what, a year now?"

"Yeah…"

"So, maybe I want to make an honest man out of you – Burton Guster." He grinned, his voice dropping to a low whisper as he leaned in close. "I want you to marry me."

His fingers closed over the ring and slowly took it off the dinosaur's horn – looking at it closely before setting the triceratops back on the shelf. "I can't believe this…"

"Oh, believe it. You, me, I'm thinking October. We'll wear off-white tuxedos, it's California – we can wear white after Labor Day… I mean, a bride can wear white any time, right… it's not like it's a law…"

"Shawn!" Gus shouted, drawing his attention back as he held the ring in his palm as though it might burn him. "You know what this means, right? I mean, I am not taking this lightly."

"No, of course not. I mean… you think I dragged you all the way out here in your fireman jammies for the fish crackers and juice boxes… which, by the way they keep locked up. How sick is that?"

Gus sighed; "This isn't happening…"

"What, so you… don't…" Shawn's voice cracked slightly and he looked away, it hadn't really occurred to him that Gus would actually say anything but yes – maybe 'Oh Hell Yes' or "It's About Time' but always somewhere on the positive spectrum.

"I'm not saying that, I just don't understand why we didn't talk about this first."

"Well that kind of ruins the point of a surprise proposal at the spot where we met. I mean, I'm sure you remember when it happened. You were the new kid but it was cool because in Preschool we're all the new kid and you were playing with the dinosaurs and I came over and said 'Mine' and grabbed it out of your hand and you cried for like an hour."

"That is not my fondest memory…"

"Yeah, but then the teacher told my Dad and he made me walk all the way over to your house and I brought my big red ball and we played out in your yard and became best friends forever." His voice started to crack, but he pushed through it; "And now we can be best of bestest BFFs for ever – because we don't have to have anyone ever come between us. And you can have back your dinosaur because I know you'll stay with me forever if I marry you."

It's strange, and clingy, and doesn't have the strongest logical bearing behind it, but Shawn's argument hit Gus in the gut. Forcing back the urge to cry, Gus nodded and finally slid the ring down onto his finger before choking out; "It fits."

"I sort of stole your decoder ring… I put it back though." Shawn sighed, pushing up on his feet; "I'm sorry, man… I guess I just thought it was a really romantic idea…"

"It was, Shawn. It's just… I'm really tired right now and this is really weird… I mean, who proposes in a Preschool classroom?"

"Someone who met the love of his life when he was four years old?"

His lips slowly curled into a smile and Gus shook his head, holding out his hand with the new ring out for Shawn to help him up. "You oughta be glad I love you, Shawn."

"I am, eternally." His voice stilled for once, dead serious. "Does that mean you'll do it?"

"It means you owe me breakfast."

"I can do breakfast. Should I take the ring and try again? My second choice was putting in a bowl of gummy worms…"

"No, no… it's all right." Gus smiled even more broadly, looping an arm around Shawn's waist; "Let's get married."

"That's probably the weakest acceptance of a proposal ever… but you know what, I'll take it."

"You better." Gus leaned against him as they walked toward the door, not even feeling Shawn's arm shift when he reached back and snatched the toy triceratops and shoved it in his pocket. "I don't get out of bed at this hour for just anyone."

"I know you don't buddy. Biscuits and gravy on me."


End file.
